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Blue Cat Blues
Blue Cat Blues is a 1956 one reel animated Tom and Jerry cartoon directed and produced by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera with music by Scott Bradley. Released on November 16, 1956 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the cartoon was animated by Ed Barge, Irven Spence, Lewis Marshall and Kenneth Muse, with layouts by Richard Bickenbach and backgrounds by Robert Gentle. Unusual for a Tom and Jerry short, Jerry "speaks", narrating the story in voiceover via Paul Frees. Since Jerry narrates through inner monologue, the short does not break the "cardinal rule" of not having Tom or Jerry physically speaking on screen. Also, unusually for a Tom and Jerry cartoon, while all the others have comical storylines, this one has a tragic one. Because of this—and the implied suicide at the end—this cartoon has rarely been seen on American TV, although it has aired once on TNT in the early 1990s and made its rounds on local affiliate channels. However, the short aired for only once on Cartoon Network Southeast Asia in November 2010. As of March 2014, very few airings are known but it has been shown briefly on Cartoon Network in the USA. Plot A depressed Tom is sitting on the railroad tracks, bent on suicide. Watching from a bridge crossing the tracks from above, Jerry laments his old friend's state. He knows that as soon as he gets home, his own friends would ask Jerry why he didn't try and stop Tom. He would have to tell them that he believes that "it's better this way, and for the first time since he met her, he will be happy". Jerry relates the events leading up to Tom's depression: Tom and Jerry had been inseparable best friends, until a beautiful white female cat catches Tom's eye. The female feline initially reciprocates Tom's feelings, but things took a turn for the worse. Jerry mentioned that Tom had gotten a rival, the much wealthier Butch for the female cat's affections. Butch is suddenly smitten by her as well, rudely interrupting her date with Tom to make his move. The female cat shows herself to be an opportunist, which Jerry had suspected. Attracted by Butch's wealth, she immediately leaves Tom for him. Jerry reveals that after he had seen the female cat for who she is and realizing that she had made a fool out of Tom, he tried to stop him. He tried to warn Tom in vain to give up and let Butch have her, believing she is not worth his grief. Tom ignores Jerry's warning and pushes himself and his finances to the limit trying to win the female cat's attention with presents such as flowers, perfume, diamond rings, and a car (albeit used). However since Butch's presents are much bigger, more expensive, and much more outrageously extravagant (including a large floral wreath, a tanker truck full of perfume, a ring with a diamond so large and shiny that it cannot be looked at without eye protection, and getting into Butch's more luxurious coupe), the cat rejects Tom's efforts and it caused him to go downhill after that. Now broken-hearted, penniless, and deep in debt, Tom tries to drown his sorrows in milk, deaf to Jerry's pleas to stop. Tom is about to literally let himself go down the gutter until Jerry, at the last second, rescues him. Just when Tom's life could not get any worse, he sees that his ex-girlfriend is now Butch's wife; the pair drive past him in a car laden with luggage, with a "Just Married" sign on the back.